Company fined over boy’s death after boogie boarding accident on River Tay

An outdoor firm has been fined £10,000 for a mistake that led to the death of a boy in an accident aboard a boogie on the River Tay.

Kayden Walker became separated from his board and was trapped on the upper side of the dam for more than three minutes before his instructor was able to free him.

The 12-year-old boy from Bridgeton, Glasgow, was on a day trip with other children near the village of Stanley on July 28, 2019.

Outdoor Pursuits Scotland Ltd, which managed the event, was fined after admitting breaching health and safety legislation at Perth Sheriff Court.

Kayden was among a group of children taking part in the event. during the trip with community group Church House.

A consent form signed before departure stated that he was “unable to swim 10 meters without the assistance of a flotation device.”

The children climbed over the dam, which has a slightly higher water level in the upper reaches, on planks between two employees of the Church House.

Instructors from Outdoor Pursuits Scotland were under the dam at the time.

Kayden was the last child to get over the dam, but community group staff were unable to see him after his board resurfaced.

One Outdoor Pursuits instructor went into the water where he last saw Cayden and found him stuck within an arm’s length of the surface.

He was unable to pull Kaiden out due to the force of the water.

The instructor eventually managed to free him after about three and a half minutes, but the force of the water carried him downstream.

The company director was able to pull him from the water and immediately began performing CPR while at least one other adult called 911.

A helicopter arrived to take Caden to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee before he was transferred to the Royal Children’s Hospital in Glasgow.

He died the next day.

An investigation by Perth and Kinross Council found that Outdoor Pursuits did not take sufficient health and safety precautions before the incident.

They said their assessment of the risk of riverbanking did not include adequate control measures.

A further investigation by the Crown Prosecution Service Fiscal Service (COPFS) heard evidence from a water expert.

They recommended that the group have one instructor directly below the dam and one in a kayak directly above it until the entire group passes through it.

Debbie Carroll, COPFS’ director of health and safety investigations, said the firm’s failures had had a “devastating impact”.

She added: “Kayden Walker was a happy, friendly and well-loved child who enjoyed helping the younger children in his church group.

“His tragic death could have been prevented if the company had ensured a safe system of work was in place to allow participants to safely negotiate the dam.

“This should serve as a warning to those involved in outdoor activities and water sports. Failure to manage risk in such businesses can have devastating consequences.”